Player Expectations

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Posting Frequency[edit]

The expectation is that each player posts in the IC thread at least once a day and that if any player cannot meet this frequency for whatever reason, give us a head's up in OOC or PM / Email me or post HERE.

As best as I am able, I will work out one-on-one with players who announce absences whether to NPC their character for the duration or Ghost them (the character is technically there but no actions are posted).



Note: My default course of action after 24 hours will always be to move the scene along (if it's a matter of a couple hours and you can contact me via OOC/PM/Email I can work in a bit of flexibility).

How this will typically work is the missing character's action will either simply get passed over (if that makes the most sense in the scenario) or I will declare that character's actions in keeping with how they have been played thusfar, to the best of my ability (if having the character NOT act just isn't practical). In either instance, I will post clearly in OOC what is happening and why. Real life happens, and sometimes you just can't be there.

And sadly, many people quit PBPs simply by just dropping out without a word of explanation.

In the event that a player is gone for longer than three days without notice, I will assume they are not coming back. As a general rule, I don't kill off absentee characters. They wander off or otherwise disappear, and if their players come back at a later date they can petition to resume gaming (which I'll take on a case by case basis).


Post Formatting[edit]

Character Name: I do not insist, but do prefer players to start each IC post with their character's name on the first line above the main text of the post (preferably bolded and/or in all caps to stand out). It just makes it easier to know at a glance which character we're dealing with, even if you end up mentioning the character's name in the body of the post itself. Particularly for me as the GM having to deal with multiple characters, this helps. I don't always automatically associate player and character otherwise.

When folk forget, I can go look it up, but it's so much quicker if I don't have to. And I've found it mad helpful in games where I'm a player, so it should help everyone.


Dice Rolls: After you've typed up your narrative description of whatever you are doing/saying, if a dice roll is necessary it should be posted at the end and s-blocked (please do not use regular spoiler code). The sblock should include a brief player-side description of the dice roll. What dice you are using and what you are specifically attempting. And finally the dice roll itself, which should link back to your actual roll on the online dice roller. If a followup roll might be warranted (such as the case of damage after an attack) roll those dice as well and post them together.

Typically, I will try to frontload GM posts with the information you need to narrate your own rolls (armor class, hit points, difficulty, etc) just to speed play and keep things moving so everyone is not waiting on me to find out what happens or wasting multiple actions where a single character could have succeeded with one for the group.


Note: I prefer [and will be using] Orokos, but so long as I don't have to create a special login to see your linked rolls, I don't much care what roller you use.

To format an sblock in the IC thread, type [sblock=Title] in brackets, then post your dice rolls and relevant text and close it with [/sblock].

An exhaustive list of RPG.net BB codes can be found HERE.



Other OOC: Any OOC that does make it into the IC thread should find itself hidden behind the sblock code described in the Dice Rolls section above. I'd like to limit OOC content beyond dice rolls to the OOC thread, however, sometimes immediate clarity is needed, and it's easiest on everyone if that comes within the IC post itself. So, if when you are done describing your character's actions and aren't sure if his/her motive/intent is clear, go ahead and post a brief sblocked OOC note to clarify.

All other OOC should go into the OOC thread. Including - perhaps especially - questions for the GM, setting clarity, etc. I am always going to post OOC responses in the OOC thread anyway, and if I get the question elsewhere I have to copy and paste between threads to give my answer context and it's just kinda a hassle.


Please . . . Just Don't[edit]

PVP: If I have one hard and fast rule online and at the meat table it's no 'til-death-do-us-part' flavors of PVP. I am not saying there will never be conflict between PCs or that you can never act against one another, but please don't turn it into a killfest. You don't need a GM for that game, and I won't spend the time GMing that game.


Offstage[edit]

Cross Talk: Love it. Do it. That's what the OOC thread is for. GM questions and OOC jokes and incidental meatworld chatter are generally seen as a given. But I'm not the least averse to the players using the OOC thread as a place to plan and hammer out character strategies, even in situations where the characters literally can't. Call it a means of modeling your characters' innate understanding of each other's tactics as a group.

Wish Lists: If there is something your character is into or wants to be into, by all means, post that in OOC (or PM / Email me) and let me know. The more input you can provide regarding that, the easier it is for me to tailor the game to the wants and expectations of the group.

Feedback: I probably won't get this, but I'll put it out there. If I've borked something, or you think something could be done better, by all means please say so. I don't guarantee I'll take every bit of advice I get, but I can promise I'll seriously consider it.


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